Tavella Murder Case: BNP's Quayum, brother among seven charged

Tavella

A Dhaka court yesterday framed charges against seven people, including BNP leader MA Quayum and his brother Abdul Matin, in a case filed for killing Italian citizen Cesare Tavella in Dhaka's diplomatic zone last year.

Matin and four others, now in jail, pleaded not guilty and demanded justice after Judge Kamrul Hossain Mollah of the Metropolitan Sessions Judge's Court read out the charges against them.

Apart from Quayum and Matin, five other accused are: Tamjid Ahmed Rubel, Russell Chowdhury, Minhajul Arefin, also known as Bhagne Russell, Shakhawat Hossain Sharif, and Sohel alias Bhangari Sohel.

Of the accused, MA Quayum, also ex-ward commissioner from Badda and a joint convenor of Dhaka city BNP, and Bhangari Sohel are shown fugitives. Charges were framed against them in absentia and arrest warrants were issued for them.

The court fixed November 24 to start trial of the case.

Tavella, 50, an aid worker, was killed in Dhaka's Gulshan Diplomatic Zone on September 28 last year. He worked as the project manager of Profitable Opportunities for Food Security (Proofs), a project of Netherlands-based organisation ICCO Cooperation.

Middle East-based Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack, according to US-based SITE Intelligence Group, which monitors jihadist activities worldwide.

The claims, however, were rejected by the police and the home minister.

But Rapid Action Battalion quoting documents recovered from several “Neo JMB” dens claimed on Friday that Tavella was shot dead by the militant group.

A press release distributed by the special force at a briefing had a list of 19 attacks claimed by the “Neo JMB” and Tavella killing was mentioned at the top.

The attacks were carried out by militants under the leadership of Shaykh Abu Ibrahim Al Hanif alias Sarwar Jahan alias Abdur Rahman who jumped to his death while trying to flee during a Rab raid on a building in Ashulia on October 8, it said, quoting the documents.

Talking to reporters, several top DMP officials repeatedly said Tavella murder was part of a conspiracy to create anarchy, put pressure on the government and send a message to foreigners that they were not safe in Bangladesh.

The Detective Branch of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police, which investigated the murder case over the months, submitted the charge sheet on June 28 this year.

During the investigation, four out of five arrested accused, except Matin, confessed to the killing.

According to the charge sheet, Sohel supplied the firearms while Sharif provided the motorcycle used in the killing.

Quayum's brother Matin hired three killers to kill a “white man” (foreigner) and Tavella became their prey, the charge sheet added.

Police are yet to recover the firearms used in the killing.

Meanwhile, BNP senior leader Nazrul Islam Khan yesterday alleged that Qaiyum was implicated in the Tavella murder case due to the current trend of politicisation of crimes.

“You've seen Rab has said militants were behind the murder of Italian citizen Cesare Tavella. But police submitted a report saying BNP men, including our ex-commissioner Qaiyum who was abroad during the incident, were involved in it. Whom should we believe?” he said.

The BNP standing committee member made the allegation while speaking at a discussion at Kochi Kachar Mela auditorium organised by Zia Shishu Kishore Mela, marking the 115th birth anniversary of National Poet Kazi Nazrul Islam.